A Pretender Christmas
by suspensewriter
Summary: The Pretender never had a real Christmas since he escaped.it's time to make up for what he missed. Alright REVIEWS! PLEASE! By the way, doing so would get you a link to your stories when I fix up my fiction site.
1. Part One

The Pretender and its characters as well as those of Prey that appear in this story, are copyright by NBC, the originator of the plot, TNT, and whatever network shows it, etc.

The other characters are mine.

This takes place between MARKED and DEAD BEAT. Since Jarod has his son (Baby Parker) back and he and Miss Parker have most of their children which ARE NOT ALL GIRLS BY THE WAY, I figured they should at least have a Christmas together and Jarod should get some presents. Do you know that all the time he was on the run, he never got any himself?

A PRETENDER FIRST CHRISTMAS

PART ONE

The Centre had fallen. Well not fallen exactly, it was just starting to collapse, not the building itself, but its own concept. The Supreme Chosen and his family were staying at Lambournis until they returned to California and as Jarod looked out of the house, the snow fell like shimmering lights in the night sky.

"The curse has been removed from The Centre," said Miss Parker.

"What do you mean?"

She picked up Patricia who was getting into something and carried her over to a safer place.

"Want," said the baby.

"No. Bad very bad." She turned to Jarod. "It seldom snowed this heavy here in Blue Cove."

"It did once when I went onto the roof."

"That's strange. It snowed every year, I remember until you escaped, then it got warmer. Oh we'd have a few sprinkles but not anything real substantial."

Jarod never noticed. In all the excitement with Raines and Lyle's executions and Mr. Parker's fatal heart attack, he never took stock of the weather. But then, when he realized it, things were a little odd. For instance, it must have taken considerable strength to put the Ceremonial Post in the hard ground and yet, it appeared that winter had not happened.

The Scientific report was that it was due to the explosion of 911. The dust particles that extended into the sky as a result had warmed the atmosphere so that Blue Cove appeared warmer than usual and there were sporadic periods of cold wet rain.

And now it started to snow.

"We're going to have a White Christmas," said Miss Parker and then looked at the calendar. "And we don't even have a tree."

"A tree?"

"A real Christmas tree. Oh and we have to attend Mass."

"We did it when we baptized the children." He couldn't understand Miss Parker's glow. It was almost like the time they went through the Official Joining or marriage between unequals

"Well I haven't much time. Do you know that when I was a little girl, mother and I would make Irish Cream and Rosettes? We're to have them on Christmas eve and wait for Santa?"

"Seems strange."

"Well my mother was part Swedish and part Irish. And don't worry Jarod, she didn't put in any liquor in my batch."

"I was wondering about that. And what did your father contribute?"

"He'd have the staff make some plum pudding and Christmas cake." She thought for a moment. "There's something else I felt strange. One time mother said we had to go to a Madame Colette's, that's a little store in New York, to get it. She said that Daddy's mother made it for him when he was small."

Jarod could never imagine Mr. Parker being a little boy. It seemed so out of place. He turned off the laptop, temporarily giving up the information on the man who ran out on his wife and sick little girl. This Christmas thing was getting most interesting and Miss Parker had a look on her. Whatever she got at Madame Colette's, she was going to duplicate it. "I suppose if I started getting the ingredients — and what about you?"

"I have no idea of my family history only that we came from Europe and Major Charles was in the Air force, not whether we're from England or Scotland."

"Well knowing The Centre since my family came from Scotland, it wouldn't look for Pretenders there, too many questions. Anyway what did everyone thing about Lambourni, our son, that he's part Dutch?"

Jarod put his right thumb and first finger together. "Just a little bit."

She shrugged. "Until we find the rest, we're going to add a Dutch tradition to Christmas."

"Well I hope he's part English, French, or Swedish or you would have had to start the preparations last June."

"Don't be silly. Now get on your lap top and start searching for Dutch Christmas recipes."


	2. Part Two

PART TWO

Luckily Lambourni had the recipe, brought it over, and Jarod didn't have to go to through all the recipes on the Internet.

"It's a good thing it isn't around the sixth or you'd have to buy a deep fryer," he said, "for the fritters , but these _Gevuuld Speculaas_ are quite good. First time I had them. Oh and since I lived most of my life in Mexico, here's one for _Ensalada de Navidad _so you won't put on some extra pounds."

Jarod did not want to regain the weight he had before going to Carthis. "Maybe I should escape again."

"I wouldn't count on it and besides you have more responsibility and not in the offspring sector either."

Jarod looked out the back door to an enclosed area with a chicken wire fence. "Yes I just gave her one." In the area were dozens of rabbits, of all sizes.

"Well rabbits multiply. Anyway I can give you a list of people who want bunnies for Christmas."

"Forget about it. The Council took care of most of the Sweepers and the staff." He did not elaborate.

Lately some of the Sweepers, who wanted to start families, found they were unable to do so. When they went to the fertility clinic, the doctors told them that someone had secretly given the men vasectomies and the women had had their tubes tied. They could not understand who or what had done such a thing since after the fall of The Centre hierarchy, they figured they were free. They also were angry since unlike the ones who the Dominants, Jarod, Miss Parker, Sydney, Broots, etc had killed in the takeover, that they should have this happen with them.

He kept this information quiet from Miss Parker and Jarod. The Council had their reasons and now that he and Miss Parker had sent applications for former military or police personnel, those given honorable discharges, the new Sweepers would not mercilessly watch or beat some innocent to death. The Council also killed the remaining children of the Sweepers, after making sure that these were their actual biological children and not Pretender or other children switched at birth. Lambourni objected to this, but Roderick overruled him. He was after all his boss and the Executioner and as for the Supreme Chosen, Tom Daniels, he signed the order

Only Sam remained of the old order and no one wanted to kill his sister who knew about Jarod and secretly sent him presents. The Centre in its own evil way had given the gifts to the Sweepers' children after saying, "Thank you," after she had said, "For that young man you have working here. It's Hanukkah."

The Council figured that Sam should volunteer for his own sterilization, but none of his family had Tai Sachs disease, and since Sam never married, they figured that sooner or later, he'd die a bachelor. Roderick was thinking perhaps a knife in his stomach while he slept, then tying him to a chair while he writhed in pain. Anyway that was Roderick's idea of revenge.

'Do you remember those two kids on the house down the street? The Russian kids?" asked his son, "I figured they needed some reminding of home. I got them a CD of music performed by the Red Army Chorus."

"Oh the ones that Nurse Batlowsky sponsored. Miss Parker says they're the children of her niece the one who was lured into prostitution by one of those fake Russian Mail Bride ads. She was killed."

"Suicide," he corrected.

Miss Parker didn't want to part with any of the bunnies, but she figured that Nikita and Sophia deserved some happenings. She even hated when they were away, like the time when she and Thomas were together.

"Why?"

"Thomas was allergic to rabbit hair. That information was on his file."

"Oh the one that she threw in the trash I heard he had quite a coughing spell until she found out. Then they never would've worked anyway. Species incompatibility"

Jarod looked at him. "What?"

"Rabbits and Thomases."

"Oh."

Miss Parker had her coat on and the children packed into the car by the time Jarod had finished putting the recipe into Miss Parker's Master's Holiday folder under "Christmas"

"We're off to Madame Collette's. I gave her a call and she'll give us the recipe."

"And the ingredients?"

"Those that aren't available here."

"I suppose we have to make the Christmas cake and pudding."

"No we don't. The Centre always has a large batch for the staff party."

"With arsenic in it of course?"

She shook her head. "No silly. They have a firm make them and ship them here. We have to go to the Post Office and pick them up, before gong to New York."

Jarod wondered why there was all this trouble for just one day in the year.


	3. Part Three

PART THREE

As it was, Madame Collette gave them the recipe. It was not the simple one for Buche de Noel, but a more complicated one. Madame Collette always out did herself. She was a flowery lady.

But when Jarod saw how simple it was, he remarked, "We have the ingredients at Blue Cove."

"But cheri, not ze best," said Madame Collette, "the best chocolat, the best flour, the best flavours."

Miss Parker just smiled and then whispered to Jarod. "Pay her and wait for me in the car. I've got somewhere else to go"

She left a rather surprised Jarod with the children who by now were scrambling from the back seat to the front and taking turns pressing the horn.

"Jeremiah put that back in the glove compartment!"

"Yes father."

"And the rest of you sit quietly right now!"

"Dadda mad," said Olivia, her face was beginning to pucker up.

"Yes I am." He refastened their seat belts, hoping that perhaps he should have welded them in.

He spent an hour waiting for Miss Parker, talking to Madame Collette who spoke in French about her life in Normandy and their apple orchard. He figured that she'd get to the whole history starting with Charlemagne if given a chance. Madame Collette was quite a speaker, too much of a speaker.

Madame Collette had an Advent calendar and all the doors were open up until today. She also had a list of what preparations needed and it appeared as if Jarod's estimation that they should have started last June was correct. How could anyone get all those things in December?

He had some of those petit fours and a sample of a log type cake. Since he had a very sweet tooth, he wanted bigger slices, but Madame Collette wouldn't give in.   
"Special for the Noel," she said. "Oh you like Christmas?"

"I never celebrated for myself, with others, yes."

"Christmas carols."

"My son, Antonio, my oldest says he'll be over or we'll be at his house."

"Excellent."

He heard the car trunk open and Miss Parker put something in it. She entered the store, took two of the packages, and when they were in, slipped something into Jarod's pocket, but he was too busy until he checked to see he had a couple of extra hundred dollar bills.

They had driven half way up the street, when Jarod turned towards Maceys. Well it was so in keeping with that movie of that little girl.

Now how was he to not let them suspect? And what could he get them?


	4. Part Four

PART FOUR

Well by the time, they arrived back in Blue Cove, Jarod and the family almost collapsed. He and Miss Parker packed the presents away and after making sure the youngest were care for by Lambourni's family, took Jeremiah to the farm to get a Christmas tree.

One of Lambourni's daughters agreed to make the more complicated recipes was a relief. Miss Parker was not that good of a cook and she would make them some biscotti. Jarod started to imagine him and Miss Parker swelling up and it was not due to her pregnancy either.

They went through the whole row, estimating how much of the roof they had to cut off to accommodate the correct tree. "There are artificial ones," said Jarod.

"No we need a real one, a very bushy one," said Miss Parker, but since it was near the end of the season, the pickings were not that good.

Since there were none suitable, they decided to try another farm and spent all afternoon going from one tree farm to another until Jarod suggested they go on someone's farm and cut a tree there.

That was successful, until the farmer caught them, but it being Christmas and they looking so desperate and tired, decided to throw in some old Christmas decorations plus some egg nog

So Jarod and Miss Parker returned to Blue Cove and started on their first Christmas tradition together. They made the short cake, they decorated the tree, they put the presents under, and each checked on the other to see if anyone would dare to open it or if their present moved. (Jarod suspected that perhaps Miss Parker would foist one of the bunnies on him.)

On Christmas Eve, they were at Lambournis, having a real Mexican Christmas, and singing or attempting to sing — that is Jarod and Miss Parker — Christmas carols Lambourni being a tenor would not transpose them for Bass Baritones and Altos. Miss Parker had a hard time trying to reach the high notes, so most of the time they mouthed the words. Jarod sung very low. You could hardly hear him.

Christmas morning they got up early for the Christmas Mass and since Lambourni invited them to his church, they decided to go. The children were more interested in their presents.

"Gun," said Adrian.

"Gre boom thing?" asked Jarvis his eyes lit up with anticipation.

"Be quiet. They're about to sing,"

"No organ," said Patricia pointing to the front.

"Well they're all very good singers and don't need one," their mother explained.

"For Fada and Moda," said Olivia, "Fada, moda need lot help." And she started giggling.

"Thanks a lot," said their father gritting his teeth, "thanks a lot. Besides I didn't have much to sing about when I was little"

They could hardly wait to get home after Lambourni had practically had the whole congregation shake their hands and had a Christmas after service treat of coffee, juice, and some cookies the Ladies Auxiliary made. After that, they rushed home and right to the presents under the tree.

While Miss Parker and Jarod put on some Christmas CDs which thankfully they had not partook in, the children tore open their presents, disappointed that they did not get any AKA 47s, grenades, or bows and arrows. The Lego blocks were a good substitute, and the dolls for the girls, Barbie Dolls and Miss Parker had dressed them all to look like the Barbie Gang.

Sydney came over with presents for all of them — Miss Parker having told him that if he did not bring a present over for Jarod, he wasn't invited. Broots gave Jarod a Play Station 2 which Jeremiah hogged most of the afternoon. Debbie wasn't with him. She was over at Lambourni's, but she brought some small items she considered married people should have, the usual set of dishes, screwdriver set, and the Hungry Hippo game, but she forgot one thing, the earplugs for the adults.

"Do you want some more cake?" asked Miss Parker.

"I think my sweet tooth's getting to large," said Jarod who put his hands into the nut bowl.

"That's yours," she said and saw the expression on the face. If he wasn't a Homo Dominant, he imagined he was going to cry.

She watched as he opened the package, the first present he ever received in his life. And how his eyes sparkled and he had a real smile, not that usual snicker.

The holster was in calf leather, and the revolver, well it was the latest model.

"A Magnum, I figured you'd want that. Has a range of — "

"I know," he said with a smile.

"I loved the perfume. Violets and orchids, my favorite. How did you?"

"I had it especially made."

They opened up the presents they got the children to get for them. Of course, they were small things, a box of candies, two scarf and glove sets, a DVD of Cinderella — well they knew what that was for

Angelo, now Timmy who thanks to the Dominants was now on his way to be a concert pianist, dropped in after supper. He had been with his family. He was their only child, but he had a young woman with him, Monica, which he had met at a rehearsal. She looked quite nice, although she kept bumping into things. Jarod learned that she couldn't see two feet in front of her and she didn't want to wear her glasses. He told Timmy of where he could get a discount on contact lenses. No one missed his ability to absolve personalities. He was back to being normal.

When he left, Miss Parker asked, "Did you enjoy all this?"

"Yes, but next year, we'll start a little earlier."

"Right."

And with that, they both collapsed on the bed. They didn't bother to undress. They were so tired.

THE END


End file.
